A method using polarimetry for detecting aerial objects is disclosed herein. The described method is not tied to any one specific polarimeter sensor architecture, and thus the method described pertains to all polarimetric sensors capable of detecting the critical polarimetric signature. The method comprises recording raw image data of an area using a polarimeter to obtain polarized images of the area. The images are then corrected for non-uniformity, optical distortion, and registration in accordance with the procedure necessitated by the sensor's architecture. IR and polarization data products are computed, and the resultant data products are converted to a multi-dimensional data set for exploitation. Contrast enhancement algorithms are applied to the multi-dimensional imagery to form enhanced object images. The enhanced object images may then be displayed to a user, and/or an annunciator may announce the presence of an object.